I am buying a new home, but it does not have a whole house fan system. Keeping the house cool and saving money on electric bill sounds interesting, but do not have a lot of Information, like how much am I saving really vs. the set up expenses? My new neighbor has purchased a whole house fan from Houseneeds.com and told that he is happy with the performance.

Some of the questions I have about the whole house fan system:

Are they worth the time and expense?
Are they quite?
How difficult would this be to add after we move in?
Can anybody recommend a reliable and cost effective brand?
Is this a project I could do myself over a weekend?

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

HVACman

04-10-2008 09:15 PM

I've put a few of these in. Are you the type that likes to run the AC all the time or only when it gets really hot & humid? Do you want to leave the AC off all day while you are at work? If you only use the AC infrequently then I bet you will love a whole house fan. If you are planning on installing this yourself, are you comfortable running a separate electrical circuit from your circuit panel and fishing the wires through the wall? A pro can get this installed easily in one day. They move a ton of air and are not what I would consider quiet. Most of the ones you buy at lowes or Home Depot install on top of the attic joists so that is a plus for a DIY'er. You will want to keep in mind that if you live in a colder cliamate that this space should be insulated by some means for the winter to cut down on heat loss. I like the Tamarack ones on houseneeds.com, they have the insulated doors. I think I might get one of those. There is some cost savings info here: http://www.houseneeds.com/shop/vent/...stechspecs.asp

sandy2982

04-23-2008 12:53 AM

Hi HVACman,

Thanks for that specific info..I looked into the link and you're right its cost effective. In the mean while I also found some information hereWholehousefansdirect.com.